Improved railroad-switch lantern



E. 5.a A. B. DICKERSON.

Railroad Switch Lantern.

No. 57,295. Patented Aug-21. 1.866.

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/A/ VE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. DICKERSON AND ALBERT B. DIOKERSON, OF OSHKOSH, WIS.

IM PROVED RAI LROAD-SWITCH LANTERN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,295, dated August 21, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD E. DICKER- soN and ALBERT B. DIcKERsoN, of Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin,.have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Switch Lanterns 5 and we do hereby declare and make known that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, which form part of this specication.

Our said invention consists in so constructing a revolving lantern that diiiereut-colored lights may be shown to the engineer upon an approaching train, to indicate to him the particular track with which the main track may be connected, while at the same time the reflection of the other colors are eifectually excluded from his view; and also in so connecting and operating said lantern by means of the switch-bar that the operation of switching shall give said lantern the proper and required adjustment to indicate the position of the main track with the various tracks at the switch.

To enable those skilled in the art to understand how to construct and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the same with particularity, making reference in so doing to the aforesaid drawings, in which- Figure l represents a side elevation ot' our invention; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3, a horizontal or plan section thereof at the line @o in Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference in the different iigures indicate the same parts of our invention.

The lantern A represented in the drawings is of a hexagonal form, being intended for a switch having two side tracks; but for switches having more side tracks the number of sides may be proportionally increased, While for switches having a single side track a rectangular lantern would be suficient.

E represent a series of tubes or inclosures projecting outward from each of the faces of the lantern, as shown, having arranged at their inner ends a p lain glass or bulls-eye, as indicated at d. Within the lantern, arranged in pairs opposite each other, are placed the colored glasses covering the aforesaid glasses d, the green glasses being indicated by Gr, the red by R, and the blue by B, as shown.

Thelanteru is mounted upon arod, F, whose upper end is screwed into or otherwise secured to the bottom ofthe lantern in such a manner as to be removed when desired, while at the same time the revolution of the rod shall cause the lantern to revolve.

Upon the lower end of the rod F, as shown, is fixed a pinion or gear-wheel, which gears into a toothed rack upon the switch-bar G, so that the movement of the said bar C in adjusting the switch as desired shall also adjust the lantern toshow the appropriate light-.the green for the main track, the red for the rst side track, and the blue for the second side track, and so on for any other number, appropriate colored glasses being used therefor.

The object of the said projecting tubes or inclosures E is to shut from view the other colors when any one particular colored light is to be displayed. r

Having described our invention, we will now specify what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. Providing a lantern, A, having glasses ot' different colors, with a series ot' tubes or blinders, E, arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein specified. 2. Imparting the requisite rotary movement to said lantern -by the reciprocating motion of the switch-bar C, substantially as shown and described.

E. E. DICKERSON. A. B. DIOKERSON. i

Witnesses:

GHR. SARAN, Jr., G. SCHEIEER. 

